Storms cause major flight disruption

A severe winter blizzard that pounded the US mid-Atlantic and northeast coasts Wednesday cancelled hundreds of flights and caused major disruptions to those travelling to and from the Cayman Islands for the second time in a week.

A blizzard last Saturday was followed by one that started Tuesday and was still going on Wednesday.

The United States National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Washington, DC, metro area, effective from noon on Tuesday to 7pm EST Wednesday night.

Flights in and out of Washington Dulles were brought to a standstill again on Wednesday with a number of carriers, including American Airlines, cancelling all services in the face of another massive snowstorm.

Airports affected included Philadelphia International Airport, JFK and others in Virginia, Maryland, New York and Washington, DC. Tampa airport reported that 77 flights of 400 planned by 7am on Wednesday morning had been cancelled, nearly all originating from or scheduled to fly to the areas affected by the severe winter weather.

Forecasters were projecting that the new blizzard could bring between 10 and 20 inches of snow to the affected areas.

Cayman travellers

Travellers intending to head to Washington, DC, last weekend were left stranded in Grand Cayman after the first blizzard.

By 1am Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, a blizzard had deposited 10 inches of snow across much of the mid-Atlantic region. Strong winds of up to 40mph caused storm conditions across the regions.

Insurance

Generally, weather conditions that lead to cancellations are not considered to be the responsibility of airlines and therefore passengers usually have to pay for their own accommodation or alternative transport.

Those who had purchased independent travel insurance may be able to get assistance with paying for hotels if they were forced to stay overnight in this scenario, explained Tim Smith of American Airlines.

“We would have operated as normally had the weather not come down on us. If a cancellation was due to mechanical error or an issue we caused, then passengers would be covered [by American Airlines] but we’re yet to get the best of Mother Nature,” said Mr. Smith.

Delays in getting open flights come when cancellations ‘stack up’ people awaiting a free seat, he explained.

“We and many other airlines did not operate in Washington for two days last weekend so there’s quite a backup.

Tickets purchased for travel on American Airlines up to 14 February can be changed for no fee or penalty, continued Smith.

“We have to not only to worry about the airport, but also the infrastructure including roads leading to the airport. Anybody travelling up until Sunday should call us and make arrangements,” he concluded.

Warning

This week’s blizzard in the US was shaping up to be worse than last weekend’s.

A blizzard warning issued by the United States National Weather Service cautioned that severe weather conditions were occurring. The advice for the Washington, DC, region and surrounding areas was unequivocal for people looking to travel in the area.

“Do not venture outside. This is a life threatening situation for anyone who becomes stranded. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds will create whiteout conditions making travel extremely dangerous.

“Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle,” it read.

Monitor

Cayman Airways did not run a direct flight to Washington, DC, last weekend so was not affected. The next scheduled direct services to DC on Cayman Airways are Saturday, 13 and Saturday 20 February.

“When we have customers who are impacted by cancelled flights due to bad weather in any of our gateways, we ensure that each customer is re-accommodated on a later flight to their destination,” said Cayman Airways’ Olivia Scott-Ramirez, manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Cayman Airways.

Continental Airlines suspended all operations out of its Newark Liberty International Airport hub in New York. The travel chaos also hit Amtrak, which cancelled southbound services from Washington and trains to New York due to the snow as well as fallen trees and power outages on Tuesday. There were reduced services operating on the north-eastern corridor on Wednesday.